Extortion Scam Led Autistic Man To Call Howard Co. Police For Help

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Alex LaMorie, the autistic man who was fatally shot by Howard County Police officers outside his apartment complex on March 1, had called 911 after saying he was going to harm himself. LaMorie said he'd fallen victim to an extortion scam, HCPD Police Chief Gregory Der disclosed at a news conference Thursday.

The shooting is being investigated by the Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division and some specifics about the incident cannot be disclosed, Sherry Llewellyn, police spokesperson, said at the news conference.

"It's not our investigation, it's theirs," Llewellyn said of the Maryland Attorney General's Office.

Related: Autistic Man Shot By Police Described As 'Bright Light' By Family

Officers responded to a report of a man threatening to harm himself. Three police officers — all of whom have been trained in working with individuals with disabilities, leaders said — arrived at Patuxent Commons shortly after midnight March 1 in response to LaMorie's call to dispatchers.

The apartment complex was built in partnership with the Autism Society of Maryland, and nearly a quarter of the units are allocated to individuals with disabilities. Another 40% is affordable housing for seniors.

According to the police department, LaMorie, 25, approached the police officers while holding a knife. Officers told LaMorie to drop the knife, but he did not comply. He continued walking toward officers while holding the knife and officers opened fire.

LaMorie was pronounce dead at the scene despite police and emergency responders administering lifesaving measures, authorities said.

At the Thursday news conference, Der said LaMorie told the dispatcher that he had exchanged personal information and photographs with someone who claimed to be a young woman. Then LaMorie received a threatening text that if he didn't pay the person money, all of his photos and texts would be released.

“We have seen incidents where individuals with developmental disabilities are targeted by these individuals, which can produce intense feelings of embarrassment and shame. Our goal is to find the person or persons responsible and hold them accountable," Der said during the news conference. "This tragic sequence of events began with a cruel online scam and ended with the worst kind of loss. Unfortunately, this kind of crime is becoming more common."

The attorney general's office previously identified the officers involved in the shooting as Officer Joel Rodriguez, a two-year veteran; Officer Cody Bostic, a six-year veteran; and PFC Joseph Riebau, a 10-year veteran. The three are on paid administrative leave while waiting to learn the outcome of the investigation.

The officers were equipped with body-worn cameras and the attorney general’s office said it generally releases footage within 20 days of an incident.

Der said during the news conference that he has requested the attorney general's office release the footage sooner than 20 days.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said at the news conference that some people in the community are "frightened" and others are "searching for reassurance that interactions with public safety officers will be safe, respectful and compassionate."

"Our police officers are called upon every day to make difficult decisions in situations that can change in seconds," Ball said. "Incidents like this remind us that we must continually strengthen our system so encounters involving people with disabilities are handled with the greatest possible level of understanding and patience with a specialized response."

Ball noted that officers undergo 40 hours of specialized training in crisis management. That training focuses on how to more effectively and safely interact with individuals who have autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, including mental health issues. This training is conducted in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. It provides officers with an advanced level of mental health awareness, de-escalation techniques, active listening skills and trauma-informed policing practices. Nearly 80 percent of HCPD’s officers are formally certified.

In the last five years, Howard County police officers responded to 5,000 calls from people threatening to harm themselves or others.

Ball highlighted a few initiatives county leaders plan to take to help with these delicate situations, such as equipping officers with additional tasers, so "our officers have more alternatives when facing dangerous circumstances."

Related: Man Shot By Police Identified, May Have Been Autistic

Ball also mentioned the 911 Flagging Program that allows individuals, family members and/or caregivers to voluntarily register a person with a developmental, intellectual, degenerative or physical disorder or disability with the county’s 911 Center. The program allows first responders to be alerted when responding to a call that a person involved has a certain condition, providing responding personnel with valuable information and ways to help before they even arrive. All information maintained in HCPD’s 911 Flagging Program remains confidential.

They also plan to work with the county department of housing and community development to make dispatchers aware of special housing, like Patuxent Commons, for when calls for help come from those locations. They would flag those buildings and communities, too.

There also are efforts at the state level to expand the Maryland Department of Transportation's Motor Vehicle Administration's Hidden Disability (Butterfly) Symbol Information program and integrating that information with law enforcement databases, which identifies individuals with special needs during traffic stops with a butterfly symbol on their driver's license or identification card.

In Howard County, individuals experiencing a mental health crisis or substance abuse crisis can call 988.